Ever notice the inside pages of newspapers where there’s a row of missing persons lined up like a mug shot. Have you ever noticed that about three out of five of them would be older persons and about one of those three, a caption includes the fact about the patient having Alzheimer’s Disease?

That is because of wandering. They go about town aimlessly and then eventually would forget to find their way home.

This can be a worrisome problem which you may need to manage. The person with AD may wander around the home or leave the house and wander around the neighborhood. They may get lost. Safety is a primary concern when the person with AD is out in public alone.

Suggestions:

Make sure the person carries some form of identification (a Senior Citizen’s ID, a piece of paper that contains contact number, a dog tag, a baller ID etc)

Make sure your home is secure and that the person is safe and cannot leave without your knowing

(Some of family members of my patients have installed double locks or locks high enough that the patient cannot reach, locks on their gates etc)

When the person is found, avoid showing anger-speak calmly with acceptance and love

It is helpful to keep an up-to-date photograph in case the person gets lost and you seek the help of others

(That means, do not send to newspapers his graduation or her prom picture. There’s no chance you’re gonna find your patient that way)

N.B. Pictures are for illustrative purposes only. In no way is this blog saying that the person depicted has Alzheimer’s Disease.

I fully agree with what you say: “It is helpful to keep an up-to-date photograph in case the person gets lost and you seek the help of others (That means, do not send to newspapers his graduation or her prom picture. There’s no chance you’re gonna find your patient that way)”